Job numbers show service sector is leading economic recovery

5:26 PM,
Mar. 8, 2013

Written by

Alana Semuels
Los Angeles Times

The nation's job numbers for February were encouraging, with employers adding 236,000 positions over the month, far exceeding analysts' expectations and pushing the unemployment rate down to its lowest level in four years.

But break down the job numbers by sector, and a trend emerges: It's the service sector that is leading the recovery. Employers in the service sector added 179,000 jobs, while manufacturing added just 14,000 and construction just 48,000.

This isn't surprising to economists - the United States has long been shifting to a service economy as manufacturing jobs are ...